NORMBREAKERS #2 — BITOI, IKIZ 4/4

BITOI (Bass Is The Original Instrument) creates music beyond all definitions, a soundscape built on bass, electronics and three voices, that stretches both what is possible to do as a singer and musician. Led by Swedish-Ethiopian bassist Cassius Lambert, BITOI creates a haunting musical tapestry of sounds and voices in which nature, and in particular birds, play a crucial role and where the lyrics are based on bird sounds, although it could just as easily be some mysterious extinct language. A concert with BITOI is a welcoming meditative place that you never want to leave. Since its premiere at the Intonal Festival in 2023, BITOI has enjoyed intense international exposure and a growing reputation. In the fall, BITOI is extensively touring in Germany, Spain and Italy has been seelctod to the official program of one of the world’s most important world music meeting places WOMEX.

The debut EP Sirikulu was released in 2023 (Kaprifol) and the debut album came in 2025 (Supertraditional). ””The three women’s voices are unreal, gliding together in an alien harmony, trilling and tapping their throats to achieve a warbling effect. Singing in this ancient avian language, transposed for human ears, BITOI evokes a folkloric sound as timeless as it is utterly unfamiliar.”” – The Wire

IKIZ 4/4 is a solo project from Robert Ikiz, one of the most trusted jazz drummers with a solid reputation in Sweden and Europe. After an acclaimed session at the Jazz Festival 2023, he now returns with new music. With live drums and an innovative set up of live electronics, he creates a hypnotic hybrid of deep house meets techno and where drum’n bass coexists with an exploration of rhythms shaped by decades of touring with the greatest Swedish and international jazz artists from Nils Landgren and Funk Unit and Bobby Mc Ferrin to Magnus Lindgren and Jacob Karlzon.

IKIZ 4/4 has released a series of sessions inspired by big cities, New York, Beirut, Hong Kong, often with live videos from the different cities. His music is as much a beat-based music experience as it is a club concept for the dancefloor and will be a stunning finale to this year’s Normbreakers.

Normbreakers is a collaboration between Debaser and Musikcentrum Öst and presents artists who create music beyond borders, genres and norms. The project is supported by the City of Stockholm.

Lineup:
BITOI: Cassius Lambert - elbas, komposition och live elektronik, Alexandra Shabo - röst, Laura Marie Madsen - röst, Ella Cronberg - röst

IKIZ 4/4: Robert Ikiz - trummor och liveelektronik